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| 28th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
 A squadronBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker refuels a B-52 Stratofortress of the40th Air Expeditionary Wing | |
| Active | 1942–1944; 1944–1946; 1960–1994; 2002-Undetermined |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Aerial refueling |
| Part of | 379th Expeditionary Operations Group |
| Garrison/HQ | Al Udeid Air Base |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with 28th Air Refeueling Squadron emblem |  |
| 28th Ferrying Squadron emblem |  |
The28th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisionalUnited States Air Force unit. It was last known to be assigned to the40th Air Expeditionary Group.Diego Garcia Air Base,British Indian Ocean Territory. Its current status is atAl Udeid Air Base under the379th Expeditionary Operations Group.
The first predecessor of the squadron, the28th Ferrying Squadron was activated atHamilton Field, California in 1942. It soon moved toLong Beach Army Air Field, California, near the production facilities ofDouglas Aircraft. It ferried aircraft within the United States until a major reorganization of theArmy Air Forces (AAF) in 1944 replaced the squadron and otherAir Transport Command units at Long Beach with an AAF Base Unit.
Shortly after this, the second predecessor of the squadron, the328th Ferrying Squadron was activated in Italy to ferry aircraft in theMediterranean Theater of Operations. It continued operations until shortly after the end ofWorld War II, when it was inactivated. It was disbanded in October 1948.
During theCold War, the28th Air Refueling Squadron was assigned to the28th Bombardment Wing atEllsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 15 March 1994. The squadron was formed from the personnel and equipment of the928th Air Refueling Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated, on 1 October 1960. The 28th refuelled 28th Bombardment WingBoeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers withBoeing KC-135 Stratotankers between 1960 and the retirement of the wing's "Buffs" in 1990.
In 1962, SAC organized fourPost-Attack Command and Control System (PACCS) squadrons and equipped them withBoeing EB-47 Stratojets. The establishment ofBoeing EC-135 airborne command post aircraft at SACheadquarters and at each of itsNumbered Air Forces resulted in the inactivation of the less capable B-47 units by 1965. The communications relay mission of the B-47 units was assumed by the 28th and906th Air Refueling Squadrons, which received a variety of EC-135s for this mission. By the mid-1960s, improved accuracy of Soviet ballistic missiles made undergroundMinuteman missile launch control centers more vulnerable, so theAirborne Launch Control System (ALCS) was created to provide a survivable launch capability. The ALCS was eventually installed aboard all PACCS aircraft assigned to the 28th. Launch crews came from the68th Strategic Missile Squadron. In April 1970, the squadron's ALCS aircraft were transferred to the new4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Ellsworth.[1]
In 1985 the 28th Air Refueling Squadron was consolidated with the28th Ferrying Squadron and the328th Ferrying Squadron.[2]The 28th continued its air refueling mission as part of the 28th Operations Group at Ellsworth untilStrategic Air Command was inactivated in June 1992. The squadron was reassigned to the43d Operations Group ofAir Mobility Command atMalmstrom Air Force Base, Montana until 1994.
The squadron was reactivated as a provisional KC-135 organization approximately 2002, ahead of the2003 invasion of Iraq. The squadron has taken part inOperation Enduring Freedom andOperation Iraqi Freedom. It may have inactivated in 2006.
The squadron was reactivated under the command of LtCol. Menola Guthrie and joined the379th Expeditionary Operations Group atAl Udeid Air Base.[3]
28th Ferrying Squadron
328th Ferrying Squadron
28th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron
Explanatory notes
Footnotes
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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